Ghanaian Independence Day in Humjibre: A Photo Essay

Ghana's coat of arms

Today Ghanaians celebrate their 56th year of independence from colonial rule. Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to gain its independence in 1957.

Here’s a series of pictures of the Independence Day celebrations held in Humjibre:

Students gathered off the main road near the Anglican church at 8:00am.

Students were dismissed from school early yesterday to wash their uniforms, polish their shoes and have their hair cut.

Students from all of Humjibre's primary and junior high schools were in attendance.

Students making their way to the football field.

Residents of Humjibre stopped by the side of the road to watch the progression.

Opening remarks, prayer and the singing of the national anthem.

Once all students had gathered at the football field, each school marched their way around the perimeter of the field to the rhythm of beating drums.

Students had been practicing their marching drills steadily for the past week.

Students dressed in spotless uniforms marched in perfect unison.

Flag of Ghana:  Red symbolizing the blood shed in pursuit of independence
Gold symbolizing the great mineral wealth of Ghana
Green representing the country's rich forests
Black star representing the lodestar of African emancipation
(source: Ghanaweb.com)

Happy Independence Day, Ghana!

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Youth Learning Tour 2013

This past Friday GHEI held our most anticipated activity of the year, at least in the eyes of our Youth Education Program students: the Youth Learning Tour. It was a very early start for everyone participating, as GHEI staff and our students converged at 1:30 a.m. on the main street of Humjibre, where our hired was waiting for us. By 2:00 all the students were seated, and we set off for Takoradi. As the bus accelerated out of Humjibre, our 48 students burst into song, belting gospel tunes at the top of their lungs, with some of the youth joining harmonies to the wholehearted melodies. The road was deteriorating and rough but the kids didn’t seem to mind too much, even cheering when we hit an especially large bump that catapulted them off their seats into the air for a moment. Six hours later we arrived in Takoradi. As we entered the city GHEI staff began handing out take-away containers of jolaf rice to the students as their breakfast.

Our first visit of the day was to the Takoradi Thermal Energy Power Station. One of the plant’s technical engineers briefed us in one of the plant’s conference rooms and was very pleased with our students’ curiosity and well-posed questions. He explained how the plant transported crude oil from offshore oilrigs, to be treated and converted to electricity. After the briefing our group hopped back on the bus to be toured around the complex, stopping at various points of interest, such as the water treatment tanks, where water removed from the crude oil is treated before being discharged. The students were captivated to hear how the principles they had learned in their science lessons were being applied in a practical way. And they weren't the only ones - GHEI staff were all very interested in seeing the amount of oil required to produce a steady flow of electricity to Takoradi and the surrounding area. We were surprised to learn that the plant uses 450, 000 barrels of crude oil in a week! Seeing the large tanks used to store the crude oil before treatment put the consumption into perspective. Unfortunately, taking pictures around the plant was prohibited for security reasons.

Next on our tour was a visit to Takoradi Harbour. Our tour guide through the harbour was informative, conveying his knowledge in an accessible and humorous way. He first covered details on the history of the harbour, which was established in 1928, and then described the types of commodities being shipped into and out of Ghana from this port. He explained that Ghana exports raw materials, cocoa for instance, which are used in production of goods abroad. The students were in awe of the massive ships around us, and cheered at the sight of thousands of fish swimming in schools around the boats.



Our last stop of the day was the Takoradi Flour Mill. The students' attention was riveted even before entering the building, as they walked by a conveyer belt feeding large bags of flour to men who were stacking them on a flat bed truck. After breaking into smaller groups, we set out to tour the facility. The tour guide that led our group was fantastic, enthusiastically describing each of the five flours produced by the mill. He was delighted to answer any and all questions the students had for him and was so energetic that he literally ran from one station to the next with the kids in hot pursuit, laughing along the way. He understood the best ways to keep the attention of his young audience, and gave the kids a hands-on learning experience by opening compartments in the machines to take out the different types of grains being milled for a variety of purposes. The only complaint we heard during the tour was that the metal staircases were frightening to some who are fearful of heights, as you could see from the very top floor to the ground level over the railings of the staircases. This was understandable since there aren’t many staircases in Humjibre, or tall buildings for that matter. As we were leaving the mill we had to get the attention of one boy who had fallen behind the group and was staring at the men working the conveyer belt at the front of the mill, completely mesmerized.



After a lunch break not far from the market circle of Takoradi, we all loaded back onto the bus for the long ride home. Even after our busy day the kids were still bursting with energy, and once again set into their musical numbers. Our bus passed by a local soccer game that had gone to shoot-out, running parallel with the football field just as a player shot what must have been the winning goal. This was enough to prompt hysteria among our group, who were already keyed up from their busy day. “GOOOOAL!” they cheered in unison. It was a long and dusty ride after that, back to our corner of the Western Region, but as we got closer to Humjibre, the volume of the singing jumped again.. Cheers went up for each town they recognized along the way. When we finally reached the main street of Humjibre, their shouts had reached the pitch of jubiliation.. They were so keen to tell their families and friends all that they had seen and learned on the excursion, and others were apparently eager to hear these stories, as many proud parents and pals gathered around the parked bus and cheered as they spotted their loved ones emerge.

It was only then that it became clear how important the Youth Learning Tour really is, for not only our YEP students, but their families as well. Many residents of Humjibre will never get to experience such things, and will spend most of their lives in and around the village. Students who participate in the tour have the chance to really broaden their horizons. It’s a wonderful opportunity for them, not only to see the fundamentals of their school lessons put into practice, like at the power plant, but to get an idea of what educational and vocational opportunities are out there and available to them, if they take their schooling seriously. They also become better acquainted with their country and the world around them.

It’s important to mention that the tour almost didn’t happen this year due to a shortfall in funding. When we publicized this need, many of you stepped up with generous donations that put the tour back on track. GHEI is immensely appreciative and would like to extend our sincere thanks to all those who made the 2013 Youth Learning Tour possible. You should take great satisfaction in knowing that your gifts have allowed the students of our community to see the world around them in a new way, through an experience they will never forget.

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Fighting Malaria with Insecticide-Treated Bed Nets

The protozoan that causes malaria (Plasmodium) is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Malaria prevention involves breaking contact between humans and mosquitoes so that this transmission cannot take place. One method of breaking contact is to kill the mosquitoes. This can be achieved by using a method called indoor residual spraying, which involves spraying the interior of houses with insecticide. A second, more practical, method, and now the most widely used in endemic malarial areas, is to provide people with bed nets that have been treated with insecticide. The netting itself creates a physical barrier to mosquitoes while people are sleeping, and the insecticide treatment creates a chemical barrier, killing mosquitoes or repelling them.

The more people that use insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) in a community, the greater the collective protection, or "spill-over effect", that is achieved. This benefit to the whole community, even to those not using bed nets, arises for two reasons. First, since ITNs kill mosquitoes, the more ITNs that are in use, the more mosquitoes will be killed, reducing the numbers that can transmit the malaria parasite. Secondly, since the malaria parasite takes about 8 days to mature in the mosquito (depending on the species of Plasmodium), ITNs kill many mosquitoes before they are able to transmit the parasite to humans, once again curtailing transmission.

The big complaint about using bed nets of any kind is that they reduce air flow and are hot to sleep under, especially in tropical climates. This feature may discourage people from regularly using their bed net if they are not properly educated in the great benefits of this practice.

GHEI’s Health Program Assistant, Mensah Gyapong, commented on the prevalence of this particular challenge: “What we saw was that people were saying that the bed nets are very hot ‒ especially this time of year. They feel very uncomfortable inside the bed net. But we also find that there are a lot of mosquitoes at night, especially after midnight. We advise them that it is better to be a bit hot at night than to get malaria! At first people even removed the bed nets because of the heat, but now they are listening to our advice and are sleeping under bed nets even during the heat.”

A previous blog talked about the high price that children under five pay when it comes to malaria, with this age-group accounting for 90% of malarial deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. An older study carried out in The Gambia and reported in the medical journal The Lancet demonstrated that mortality rates due to malaria were 30% lower for young children who slept under a bed net than for those who didn't (Alonso et al. 1991). A more recent review of the literature reporting on ITN effectiveness concluded that, on average, ITNs reduce deaths in children by 20% and the episodes of malaria by 50% (Lengeler 2009).

The insecticide of choice for treating bed nets is pyrethroids (e.g., deltamethrin, permethrin). This class of insecticide is very effective against mosquitoes but is harmless for humans at the rate that it is used to treat the nets. This is important, since if you’re sleeping under a bed net, your body is right next to, or even touching, the netting. A growing problem is that in some areas where ITNs have been used, the mosquitoes are becoming resistant to pyrethroids. This means that the mosquito population has developed strains that aren’t killed by this insecticide, so that treated bed nets provide only a physical barrier to the mosquitoes. Research is under way to develop new insecticides for bed net treatment, but so far the test chemicals have not proven as effective as pyrethroids.

Another factor in the effectiveness of an ITN is how long the insecticide lasts. If people wash their bed nets or hang them out in the sunlight to air, as they would their bedding, the effectiveness of the insecticide is reduced. GHEI’s Community Health Workers have been spreading the message that bed nets should not be washed or exposed to sunlight. 

Protection against mosquitoes can also be extended by using Long-Lasting Insecticide-Treated Nets (LLINs), which are effective for up to three years. The World Health Organization now recommends full coverage of all people at risk of malaria in areas targeted for malaria prevention with LLINs. The priority still remains the protection of children under five and pregnant women, but once these groups are covered, everyone in the program area should be given access to an LLIN.

Since 2006 GHEI has been committed to preventing malaria in Humjibre and the surrounding communities by distributing free insecticide-treated bed nets to community members. Previously, the GHEI health team, which includes the Humjibre, Kojina, and Soroano Community Health Workers (CHWs), distributed bed nets to every home in the three communities. Through GHEI’s universal distribution program, approximately 350 people in Kojina, 3800 people in Humjibre, and 900 people in Soroano have benefitted from bed net ownership and support for proper use.

GHEI’s Malaria Prevention Programme includes household monitoring of bed nets, during which the CHW observes the condition of bed nets in each home, re-hangs and mends bed nets as needed, educates household members on bed net care and usage, and encourages nightly usage of bed nets, especially for pregnant women and children under five years of age.

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Sources:


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Insecticide Treated Bed Nets. http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/malaria_worldwide/reduction/itn.html

Lengeler, C. 2009. Insecticide-treated bed nets and curtains for preventing malaria. The Cochrane Collaboration. JohnWiley & Sons, Ltd.

World Health Organization. Global Malaria Program. Insecticide-Treated Mosquito Nets: A WHO Position Statement. www.who.int/malaria/publications/atoz/itnspospaperfinal.pdf

Career Opportunity Lectures Series

This past Friday GHEI was pleased to invite junior high school students from both Humjibre and the neighboring town of Muoho to our community center for our annual Career Opportunity Lecture Series (COLS). The students were all very excited to attend, clearly happy to have a change from their regular school routine. We counted 146 students coming from Anglican Deeper Redeemer and Muoho junior high schools.

The event started off with a series of guest speakers, beginning with a compelling motivational speech from Mr. Oscar Kobbina. Mr. Kobbina surprised his audience right away by saying that he was very disappointed in some of them, while being pleased with others. The students looked back and forth at one another wondering what he could mean. Mr. Kobbina had a group of students stand up and pointed out that they had brought their pens and notepads with them to take notes. “Yes, you can tell that they have come to learn!”

Mr. Kobbina went on to share his life story with the students, detailing how he had started from very humble beginnings and that attending school as a child was a real strain on his family’s finances. He expressed the deep shame he felt early in his student life when his poor grades ranked him last in the class. He emphasized that it was this shame that motivated him to succeed, and that by the end of the next year he was first in his class. He stressed the need for all Ghanaian students to master their English language skills, as they would be necessary for success in virtually any vocation.

He went on to describe graduating from school by his “own initiative and by the grace of God,” moving on to successful careers as a teacher, then as a firefighter, and now in his retirement as the manager of a cocoa farm. He stressed that the students’ schoolwork is the foundation for the rest of their lives, and that it is not an opportunity to be squandered. He also made it clear to the students that they should not feel limited by their families’ socio-economic background. “If your parents are poor it does not mean that you are destined to be poor! It is up to you to work hard and get good grades. Only you can make your future!” The children were spellbound, and it was obvious what an encouraging influence Mr. Kobbina had.

Next was a speech by Mr. Soloman Ofosu-Addae, a social worker from Bibiani, who elaborated on many of the sentiments shared by Mr. Kobbina. Like him, Solomon had also faced the hardships of poverty during his days as a student. It was a real struggle for his father to send him to school, and there wasn’t enough money to cover his school materials, such as books and pens. Many of his relatives had to chip in to see him through his studies. Through hard work and dedication, he was able to graduate from school and found his passion for social work during his year as a national service volunteer.

Mr. Ofosu-Addae was adamant in convincing the students that they had to strive not only to work hard at their studies, but also to know themselves. He assured them that if they were aware of their interests and passions, they would be empowered to realize their dreams through a focused outlook. He also stressed that their school years could very well determine the rest of their lives, and to be very cautious of the decisions they make at this point in their lives. As a closing remark, he reminded the students that teachers are there to help, and that one should never hesitate to seek assistance and guidance from their teachers.

The third and last speaker was Mr. Albert Assabil, from the District Health Information Office in Bibiani. His style differed from the two previous speakers in that he spoke less about his life and career and focused his lecture on the personal qualities and steps needed to lead a fulfilling and successful life. He pointed out the need for students to take responsibility for their studies; that no one but the individual can decide whether he or she will excel in their schooling. He also noted that a successful student has to be willing to “pay the price” for their education, not only the literal payment of school fees, but also the figurative cost of hard work and sacrifice.

Mr. Assabil also stressed the need for a plan of action. He insisted that the students create a plan for their future, as nobody else would do this for them. This plan of action, he said, would allow them to maintain their focus, which served as his concluding point. Mr. Assabil ended his motivating speech to the youth by saying that maintaining focus on their goals would be the most important step in reaching their objectives and fulfilling their dreams.

The students then had a short break and enjoyed their snack of soft drinks and meat pies. The house DJ played “hip-life” tunes, and the energetic crowd was soon bopping around to the rhythms, each showing off their particular “Azonto” moves. Before long, the Azonto music began attracting an even bigger crowd, with children on recess at the nearby Anglican Primary School rushing into the community center to join the dance party! Just as things started to get out of hand, the music stopped and the students were called back to their seats. The second session of the day had the students rotating through focused 20-minute modules led by GHEI staff in the community library and various classrooms.

Volunteer teacher Bright and Education Program Coordinator Jen Matthews ran a session on career review, which elaborated on career paths. GHEI Library Administrator Lawrence and teacher Saga ran a session on technical education, describing various technical-vocational trainings available. Education Program Manager Happy and Health Program Coordinator Abby presented a session on job skills and how they apply to particular jobs. GHEI teachers Innocent and Felicity ran the fourth tutorial on Senior High School selection and courses. The sessions were short enough to keep the students focussed and engaged, though detailed enough to answer all of their questions.

After the content-heavy afternoon sessions, the students were called back to the community centre for a few final words from GHEI Country Director Clement Donkor. He reiterated the main point of the day: studying hard now is the best way to ensure a successful future. He encouraged them to spend most of their time and energy on their studies, and reminded them that their prayers to succeed would only be answered if they worked hard themselves!

Hip-life music blasted into life again at the end of the day, accompanied by the obligatory Azonto dance moves. The day was a great success for GHEI, as it was clear that our audience took the day’s lessons to heart. We wish the students of Humjibre and Muoho all the best in pursuing their career aspirations!

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Childhood Malaria: Little Targets for a Dread Disease

GHEI Community Health Workers hanging a bednet for a father and his child

Each year around the world an estimated 500-800 million cases of malaria are diagnosed. One and a half million of these cases result in death. Most of these deaths take place in sub-Saharan Africa. And most of the people who die there - an incredible 90% of them -are children under five. Nearly every source you read about childhood malaria is quick to cite the terrible statistic that one African child dies of malaria every 45 seconds.

The good news is that malarial deaths have been cut by 30% in Africa over the past decade. The bad news, of course, is that too many people are still dying of this preventable and treatable disease, and most of them are small children.

Very young children and pregnant women are the most vulnerable victims of malaria. Babies don't have a fully developed immune system and pre-schoolers haven't yet developed resistance to the disease, which makes these age groups so susceptible. Early diagnosis and treatment of the disease improves the prognosis for young children. Beginning treatment within 24 hours of the first show of symptoms produces the best results (WHO).

Pregnant women, too, have a reduced immune system, and malaria can induce anemia in the prospective mother and bring on delivery too early. It can also cause low infant birth weight and even death of the baby. Anti-malarial drugs can reduce the transmission of malaria from mother to child.

For children who have had malaria, the need is not over once they have recovered. Repeated bouts of malaria cause many missed school days, and a child may never be able to make up these gaps in their education. What's more, the anemia associated with frequent malaria saps a child's strength and ability to concentrate and do mental processing. Their capacity to learn and be successful in school is often greatly diminished. A child who is also malnourished feels these effects even more and may not respond to anti-malaria drugs, becoming even more vulnerable to the other two big child killers in Africa: diarrhea and pneumonia. Children who have had malaria need continued care, understanding and support.

It has taken the developed world a long time to recognize the seriousness of malaria, probably because relatively few westerners ever experience this disease. Malaria has risen to the top of the world-health hit list only in the past decade or so, as the result of some tireless campaigning on the part of various NGOs and others working in malaria zones, who have seen first-hand how devastating this disease can be to whole communities. But even with the growing realization that malaria is a killer to be reckoned with and the availability of new drugs to combat this disease, there are still big obstacles to bringing people the relief they need. For one thing, malaria is caused by a parasite that can develop resistance to medications that were once effective. For another, the newest, most effective treatments are usually out of the reach of poor people - either too expensive or simply not available.

The best answer right now is prevention, and that takes two things - educating people about how they get malaria and providing insecticide-treated sleeping nets and showing people how to use them. GHEI's Community Health Workers undertake both of these important tasks as part of their daily work. Our CHWs aim to educate our communities on the risk of malaria and how the virus is contracted. They conduct extensive spot-checks thoughout our communities, ensuring that people have malaria nets and that they are using them properly.

Young beneficiaries of GHEI's malaria prevention program

One of the big obstacles in making progress towards the Millennium Development Goals is that if you fail to meet one of them, the chances of meeting the others get slimmer. In this case, if the international community lags in its efforts to combat malaria and other diseases that decimate children in Africa (MDG 6), high levels of child mortality will continue to loom (MDG 4) and children will die before having the chance to complete their primary education (MDG 2).

The premise of GHEI's work is that a whole community will reap the benefits of investing in its children. Children who sleep under a bednet, who have access to basic medical care, who learn the benefits of soap-and-water handwashing, who attend school regularly and have out-of-school support - these children have the best chance of living out their years in good health, enjoying the fruits of their education, and contributing to their community throughout a long adulthood. This is what we're working for at GHEI and what we invite you to support.

Sources:

International Medical Corps. Fighting Africa’s Biggest Child-Killer: a Q & A. Online: http://internationalmedicalcorps.org/page.aspx?pid=472

Malaria Consortium. Malaria: The Challenges. http://www.malariaconsortium.org/pages/malaria_challenges.htm

World Health Organization. Malaria. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs094/en/index.html

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GHEI's Annual General Meeting

The Chief and elders

Sunday night GHEI was pleased to invite key community members to our Annual General Meeting, at which we talk about the activities that we have been involved in over the past year. Special guests at this important event included the Chief and elders, church leaders and GHEI’s library board.

The evening began with a song of prayer led by a charismatic church leader with the audience joining in. Country Director Clement Donkor introduced our Humjibre staff, both local and Western, full-time and volunteer, and described everyone’s role within the organization. Following this, GHEI’s Humjibre staff recounted highlights of our work in 2012.

Members of GHEI's Library Board

Education Program Manager Happy Nkrumah was pleased to report that 43% of our Youth Education Program students received a high pass on their Basic Education Certificate Exam (a score between aggregate 6 and aggregate 15), which was considerably higher than the high pass rate at Humjibre Anglican Junior High School (6%) and the overall district high pass rate (28%). His satisfaction was even more evident when he informed our audience that GHEI has awarded 72 scholarships to date, and that so far 41 students have graduated from high school.

Next up was GHEI Teacher Ernest Badu, affectionately known as Saga – short for Sagacious. He explained the Early Childhood Education program’s policy of recruiting 60% girls and 40% boys as a way of addressing the numerous obstacles to girls’ education in Ghana. He also reported that this year we recruited 14 new students for the ECL program – children who need a bit of extra help to catch up to their peers in school.

Library Administrator Lawrence Donkor was next to speak, citing the encouraging statistic that our community library had welcomed more than 15,500 visitors in 2012. He described the way the library works, that it holds more than 5,500 books, and that it is open to the public six days a week for four and a half hours a day.

Health Program Assistant Mensah Gyapong elaborated on our malaria prevention program, reporting that in 2012, 353 bednets were mended and 571 bednets were re-hung in our communities. Next, Aggie Obeng GHEI’s other Health Program Assistant spoke about our Handwashing with Soap program. She reminded our audience that GHEI has provided five water tanks at schools in Humjibre and the neighbouring village of Muoho, and that we continue to support peer handwashing monitors to ensure that students wash their hands properly.

This topic led into a note on the community water borehole that GHEI opened to the public in June 2012, which has significantly reduced the labour involved in fetching water for community members.

After discussing our yearly Summer Serve and Learn volunteer programs and encouraging the community to welcome our Western volunteers warmly, the floor was opened to a Question and Answer session. Questions were all in Sefwi, and covered such topics as our scholarship program, sexual and reproductive health program, and community support for all of GHEI’s activities.

GHEI was glad to have a diverse cross section of the community of Humjibre present at this important meeting, and the evening came to a close after some words of encouragement from the Chief of Humjibre. We look forward to another successful year of serving Humjibre and neighbouring communities and take this opportunity to wish our readers the very best for 2013.

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Books for Africa Quiz & Parade - A Photo Essay

 by Lawrence Donkor

I work as GHEI's Library Administrator and part of my job is running the reading club.  Last weekend GHEI was invited to an event held by Books for Africa in Kukurantumi, in the Eastern Region.  They held a quiz contest for reading clubs from around Ghana, and also a workshop on in service training for Librarians.  We chose Bismark Appiah to represent GHEI from the 10 students in our library reading club.  Here are some pictures I took of the event:

GHEI Library Reading Club Representative Bismark Appiah doing some last minute review before the Books for Africa reading quiz.

The Books for Africa Library Project held a parade through the streets of Kukurantumi in a celebration of literacy.

Community Libraries from all across Ghana were invited to participate.

Bismark Appiah proudly representing both the GHEI Library Reading Club and the community of Humjibre.  People were impressed with our new banner!

Boys and girls from across the country participated in the quiz competition.  Contestants all belong to reading clubs sponsored by Books for Africa.

Bismark was very pleased to be awarded a few prizes for his efforts! He was given a cap, a fan, pens and a calculator.

A well deserved lunch break for reading club quiz participants and organizers.

Ghana Education Service presented a certificate to Books for Africa for their support of many libraries in Ghana.

GHEI is proud of Bismark for serving as a great spokesperson for his community and our Library reading club. Here he is ready get back to his home in Humjibre!

We were very happy to participate in this event.  Bismark had a lot of fun in the contest competing with other kids from around the country, and also getting the chance to travel to a part of Ghana he had never seen before.

As for me, the training went really well. This gave me great experience and new ideas for running our reading club here in Humjibre.

Thanks to Books for Africa for inviting us to this event, and their support of GHEI's community library!

I would like to take this opportunity to ask all those who are willing to donate to our reading club. Our readers have really opened their minds through the books we read, and we would like to expand their experience in this program.

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Reading Club Ups the Ante

Last week the GHEI Community Library Reading Club met in the community centre to be quizzed on their latest reading material. GHEI holds these quizzes for our reading club regularly to ensure that our ambitious readers are getting the most out of their efforts. However, for this particular reading quiz competition, the stakes were much higher than usual. The outcome of this quiz competition would decide which of our contestants would travel to Kukurantumi, Easter Region, to represent GHEI in Books for Africa’s country-wide reading quiz competition and to take part in a large parade.

Club members arrived early, as the DJ set up the sound system, and sat on the steps, pouring over the book in a last-minute review session. The gathering began with the DJ blasting some high-life tunes, attracting those passing by the community center to drop in to see what the commotion was about. As the music faded, our contestants emerged onto the stage and found their seats with their team members. Education Program Manager Happy Nkrumah served as quizmaster for the evening, while GHEI staff Bright, Alfred and Innocent served as timekeepers and judges.


Our reading club, as well as reading clubs all over Ghana, were assigned to read “The Saga of Professor F. K. A. Allotey: The African Scientist.” A fitting selection, as the book was “dedicated to the youth of Africa.” The quiz began with a series of comprehension questions about the life and times of Professor Allotey. All participants were eager to demonstrate their understanding of his life story, and many times it was difficult to hear which group rang in first to answer the questions.

The growing tension was momentarily broken when one student answering a comprehension question was given an unexpected electrical shock from the microphone he was speaking into. He yelped in surprise, and the audience responded in hilarity. The DJ decided the best course of action would be to have Happy and the boy switch microphones, and the audience continued to laugh as Happy handled the faulty microphone gingerly, with a look of apprehension on his face.


The quiz continued with speed comprehension questions, followed by definitions, and ending in abbreviations and acronyms found in the book. Group three demonstrated their superior knowledge of the book and never lost their lead in points. It was no surprise then when they were announced as the winning team at the end of the quiz. All contestants were given notebooks and pens for participating, while top responders from each team were awarded geometry sets. Members of team three were then awarded novels as the top prize, but it was clear from the faces of our readers that they were eagerly anticipating the announcement of the ultimate prize: who would represent Humjibre in Books for Africa’s quiz?


Library Administrator Lawrence Donkor smiled with great pleasure as he announced the victor of the evening: Bismark Appiah. Bismark’s eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing his name announced, tears of joy streaming freely down his cheeks. He was so proud! GHEI Country Director Clement Donkor raised the boy’s arm in a proclamation of his success, as though he were a boxer who had just won a gruelling bout. And in a way, Bismark had done just that.

We are proud of our reading club and their efforts. Bismark proved himself to be worthy of representing both Humjibre and GHEI in Books for Africa’s event, and we look forward to hearing about his performance in the days to come!

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Children at Play

Recess is in full swing at Anglican Primary School in Humjibre, and the girls playing "ampe" have picked up the pace. The leader sets the rhythm, jumping on the beat and clapping. On the third beat she suddenly sticks out a leg, which must be matched by the follower. This game, called "ampe," is hugely popular among girls in Humjibre. It resembles a full-body, dancing version of rock‒paper‒scissors, or a game of odds and evens. One partner wins a point if both of them stick out the same leg, while the other gets a point if their legs mirror one another. The game speeds up again, and the follower has to guess which leg the leader will stick out. It’s impressive how synced their rhythms become, and it's clear the game requires, and builds, a great sense of rhythm and timing.

It should come as no surprise that play is crucial to children’s overall development, and it helps fulfil many of their needs. Any teacher or parent can tell you how much energy young kids can have, and play is not only an outlet for this seemingly endless energy, but is also a way for children to learn by using all of their senses.

In her book, “A Running Start”, Rae Pica describes how children retain more information the more senses they use in their play-time. Free play helps to develop children’s ability to communicate with one another by expanding their language skills and encouraging cooperation. It enables them to express themselves to their peers and, in turn, to establish their own sense of self in relation to others.

Play gives kids the chance to release their anxiety while learning how to deal with stress. It is also a way for children to develop their cognitive abilities in a hands-on way, honing the sensorimotor skills that they will use for a variety of purposes throughout their lives.


Playing outdoors gives children the opportunity to burn off some of that excess energy, and at the same time also exposes them to the world around them. Outdoor play encourages kids to engage with their environment, which in turn piques their curiosity about the world that surrounds them.

The girls here also really enjoy playing jump rope, with two girls swinging the rope while participants line up for their turn. The girls often set up more than one jump rope station, and it seems to be based on difficulty level, with the smaller children jumping at an easier pace and the older girls skipping competitively at a feverish rate. Although this game is female dominated, some small boys are eager to line up for their turn as well.

Meanwhile, most boys have thrown themselves into a boisterous football (soccer) match, and can be seen racing around after the ball in large groups throughout their whole recess times. Two sticks held up with piles of stones serve as their goals, and it appears that no number of players is too many. Thirty lads can be playing in one game and several pick-up matches take place around the schoolyard at once. The girls don't seemed to be prevented from playing with the boys.  They are just more interested in their own games.

Some of the small boys fold paper into tiny pistols, making the accompanying sound effects in their shootouts. Since Christmas these pistols have been upgraded to 8-shooter cap guns, and I have been victimized several times in mock gangland shootings. Both boys and girls are seen running around, engaged in imaginative role playing games together, waving sticks around as swords and magical wands. It’s hard to tell what characters they assume in their games, but like most kids they're probably playing their favourite heroes from their story books and what television and movies they have seen.

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Sources:

Hendrick, J. and P. Weissman. 2006. Purposes of Play. pp. 50-54 in The Whole Child: Development Education for the Early Years and Early Childhood Settings and Approaches. Pearson Education Inc. http://www.education.com/reference/article/purposes-play/?page=4


Krywko, Krystyann. 2008. The Purpose of Play. Early Childhood News
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=743


Pica, Rae. 2006. A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity and Free Time Create a Successful Child. Marlow and Company: New York.

Education in Ghana - Who Pays?

In the lead-up to Ghana's national elections on December 7, much of the political debate among the candidates focussed on education. But no matter which national party Ghanaians endorse, it would be a rare person who doesn't agree that comprehensive education of children and youth is key to Ghana's continuing development and economic growth and the well-being of its citizens. Among other things, education helps people increase their income and overcome poverty, is a means of improving health and nutrition and reducing family size, and enhances people's dignity, sense of self worth, confidence, and hope for the future.

Since Ghana gained independence in 1957, the Government of Ghana has officially regarded education as a fundamental human right. The 1961 Education Act states that "every child who has attained the school going age as determined by the Minister shall attend a course of instruction as laid down by the Minister in a school recognised for the purpose by the Minister" (Ghana Legal). But who pays for this education?

Many international agreements make it clear that the state has a responsibility to provide free basic education. Article 28 of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (OHCHR) declares that "The child has a right to education, and the State's duty is to ensure that primary education is free and compulsory, to encourage different forms of secondary education accessible to every child and to make higher education available to all on the basis of capacity." The second Millennium Development Goal, to achieve universal primary education, aims to "ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling" (UN), implying that this schooling is not financially prohibitive for anyone. Education for All, an international initiative supported by national governments, civil society groups, and development agencies, has as one of its six goals to "Ensure that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, those in difficult circumstances, and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality" (The World Bank, Education).

The 1992 Republican Constitution of Ghana committed Ghana to the principle of free universal basic education and gave this commitment some substance by establishing a time-frame. Article 38(2) of the Constitution states that "The Government shall within two years after Parliament first meets after coming into force of this Constitution draw up a program for the implementation within the following ten years for the provision of a free, compulsory universal basic education. (Government of Ghana 1992).

The 10-year Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education Programme (FCUBE) emerged from this constitutional mandate in 1996, with the three goals of improving the quality of teaching and learning across the Ghanaian educational system, improving management efficiency, and increasing access to and sustained participation in schooling. Since then, the "Capitation Grant", which removes some of the barriers that poor families face when considering schooling for their children (mainly by eliminating primary school tuition fees), has improved school access and participation. However, many poor families still cannot afford to pay incidental school fees and buy the required school uniforms and books for their school-age children, so these children do not attend school.

High school education is not free in Ghana. Day students must pay tuition fees that run about $85 per term, while boarding students pay about $175 per term. Families that earn a dollar or two a day cannot hope to send their children to high school unless scholarships are available. Much of the recent national election debate revolved around how quickly the government of Ghana could take on the cost of secondary education. The 2012 Manifesto of the re-elected National Democratic Congress declares the party's commitment to the progressive introduction of free secondary, in compliance with the constitution (p. 20). In his October speech to launch the manifesto, President Mahama promised to accelerate the provision of free secondary education by building 200 new high schools and 10 new teacher training centres by 2016 (Frikmpong).

In 2008, the most recent year for which data are available, Ghana spent 5.7% of its GDP on education (World Bank). Compare this with 5.4% by Canada and 5.5% by the U.S. Educational spending accounted for 24.38% of Ghana's government expenditures in 2010, the highest share spent to that point, but even this amount is not enough to support universal education through to the end of secondary school.

Although the country is richly endowed with natural resources such as gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, and fish, Ghana still relies on foreign assistance, particularly from Canada, Japan, and Germany, to fund its educational policies and programs. However, an analysis for UNESCO's recently released EFA Global Monitoring Report (October 2012) determined that Ghana was among the 17 countries that are resource-rich enough to bring an end to donor assistance. The analysis is referring in part to the fact that Ghana discovered offshore oil and gas in 2007, which went into production in 2010 and is bringing new wealth to Ghana (Pittsburg Post-Gazette). It suggests that "If revenue generated from their non-renewable natural resources were maximized and 20% of the extra resources were devoted to education", the majority of Ghana's out-of-school children and adolescents could be schooled.

It may take several years before education is free and accessible to everyone in Ghana. In the mean time, GHEI's scholarship program ensures that selected students can go on to complete their high school education. Our community library helps fill the gap in educational resources by offering textbooks, and provides a quiet place to read and study. Both our Early Childhood Literacy program and Youth Education Program (YEP) provide supplemental classes for those students who are falling behind in school, ensuring that many more children will stay in school and gain the education they need for a more prosperous and secure future. Even in practical ways, GHEI is there to help, supplying YEP students with school materials such as pens, pencils, notebooks and backpacks to equip them in the learning process.


Ghana is a leader in education among African nations, but there is still much to accomplish on the road to free and equitable education for all children and youth. GHEI is working very hard in its educational programming to ensure that Humjibre's children and youth have every opportunity to reach their educational potential and join the front ranks of Ghana's developing work force and leadership.

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Sources:

Frikmpong, Enoch Darfah. 4 October 2012. NDC Manifesto Launch: 200 New SHS, 10 Teacher Training Colleges And New University To Be Built. Modern Ghana. http://www.modernghana.com/news/421904/1/ndc-manifesto-launch-200-new-shs-10-teacher-traini.html

Ghana Legal. Ghana Laws. Education Act 1961 (Act 87).
http://ghanalegal.com/?id=3&law=23&t=ghana-laws

Government of Ghana. The Constitution of the Republic of Ghana 1992.
http://www.judicial.gov.gh/constitution

(NDC) National Democratic Congress. 2012 Manifesto. Advancing the Better Ghana Agenda. http://ndc.org.gh/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=231&Itemid=320

(OHCHR) Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Convention on the Rights of the Child. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm

Pittsburg Post-Gazette. Ghana's example: Free and fair elections choose a president. 11 Dec 2012.

The World Bank. Data. Public Spending on Education, Total (% of GDP) http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS

The World Bank. Education for All (EFA). http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTEDUCATION/0,,contentMDK:20374062~menuPK:540090~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:282386,00.html

UNESCO. EFA (Education for All) Global Monitoring Report. Youth and Skills: Putting Education to Work. October 2012. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/efareport/reports/2012-skills/

UN. Millennium Development Goals. Education. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/education.shtml

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